Its title translates as: “The Elite of the Imperial Japanese Navy” The album was produced to commemorate the National Defense and Industry Exposition held in Japan in 1935. Akagi would later become one of the most famous Japanese aircraft carriers of World War II, participating in the attack on Pearl Harbor before being lost at the Battle of Midway in 1942. But this album was published in 1935-six years before the Pacific War began. The album goes well beyond portraits of individual warships. It includes photographs of battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers, naval aircraft, seaplanes, aerial formations, torpedo firing, fleet maneuvers and dramatic nighttime searchlight exercises. The opening pages also record the dates of the National Defense and Industry Exposition: From March 27, 1935 to May 10, 1935. The exposition was a public event presenting Japan’s national defense and modern industry to ordinary visitors. This gives the album another interesting historical dimension: it shows not only the Japanese Navy itself, but also how naval power and technology were presented to the Japanese public in the mid-1930s. For collectors today, the timing is particularly fascinating. Battleships still represented enormous naval power, while aircraft carriers and naval aviation were becoming increasingly important. Both worlds appear side by side in these pages. The album is more than 90 years old and shows age-related wear, staining and discoloration. Please examine the photographs carefully for condition. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.
This is an original 1937 Imperial Japanese Army radio communications training photo album containing approximately 65 original photographs. The cover is gilt-lettered with the large unit name: “Hirokawa Unit” and, beneath it in smaller lettering: “Ogushi Unit” “Imari Unit” It is also clearly marked: Commemorative Album for Radio Communications Training, 1937. The exact organizational relationship between these three unit names cannot be confirmed from the album alone, but all three are clearly recorded on the original cover, making this a particularly interesting unit-specific military document. The album contains far more than ordinary soldier portraits. It documents the actual training of Imperial Japanese Army communications personnel, including instructors, assistant instructors, trainees, classroom instruction, radio equipment, field exercises, and unit life. Original Japanese captions visible in the album include: “Instructors and Assistant Instructors” “Trainees” “Hirokawa Unit Headquarters Staff” “Communications Training, Part 1″ “Communications Training, Part 2″ “Receiving Apparatus” “Telegraph Key” “Air-Ground Communication” One of the most striking photographs shows soldiers wearing headphones while practicing radio reception inside a classroom. Another shows an instructor teaching communications procedures at a blackboard. These images provide an unusually direct look at how Imperial Japanese Army signal personnel were actually trained before the Pacific War. The album also contains numerous outdoor radio training photographs. Several images show soldiers gathered around field radio sets with antennas erected in the open. Original caption labels include: Type 94 No. 5 Group” “Type 15 No. 3 Group” “Type 15 No. 5 Group These photographs appear to document training groups organized around specific communications equipment. Another particularly interesting photograph is captioned Air-Ground Communication. It shows personnel working with communication equipment while large ground panels are spread out in an open field, apparently as part of training for communication or signaling between ground units and aircraft. In addition to the technical training photographs, the album includes images of officers, unit headquarters personnel, military vehicles, barracks life, meals, large group portraits, monuments, buildings, and scenes believed to have been taken in Manchuria. Many photographs are accompanied by original Japanese caption labels and handwritten Romanized notes. This is not simply a collection of unrelated military photographs. It is a coherent visual record of the same soldiers, units, equipment, and communications training program. Military communications were the nervous system of an army. Orders, intelligence, artillery coordination, movement, and contact between ground and air units all depended on trained signal personnel. The men shown in this album were part of that invisible network. With approximately 65 original period photographs, named units, communications equipment, classroom training, field radio exercises, and air-ground communication scenes, this album is an exceptionally interesting source for collectors and researchers of: Imperial Japanese Army Signal Corps Military Radio Communications Manchuria Japanese Field Radios Prewar Military Training Military Communications History The album cover shows age-related wear, rubbing, edge loss, and deterioration. The photographs and album pages also show age-related toning, staining, lifting, and other signs of age. Please examine all photographs carefully for the exact condition. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.
This is an original commemorative plate made in November 1928 for the Enthronement of Emperor Hirohito (Emperor Showa). The inscription on the reverse reads: “Commemoration of the Imperial Enthronement Celebration November 1928 Imperial Japanese Army Banquet Facility” The term used in the original Japanese inscription refers to a facility associated with the serving of ceremonial meals during the Imperial celebration. Period records from the 1928 Enthronement also document special banquet and meal facilities established for the ceremonies. Another important feature is the maker. The reverse bears the NORITAKE / NIPPON TOKI KAISHA backstamp. Nippon Toki Kaisha was the company behind Noritake, which had already become one of Japan’s leading manufacturers of high-quality Western-style tableware by the prewar period, with its porcelain exported internationally. It brings together three distinctive elements: Emperor Hirohito’s 1928 Enthronement, the Imperial Japanese Army, and Noritake. The center features a gold five-pointed star associated with the Imperial Japanese Army, surrounded by elegant phoenix and paulownia designs. 9.4 inches (24 cm). Nearly a century old, the plate shows age-related surface wear, staining and some wear to the decoration. Please examine the photographs carefully for condition. Dated November 1928, its connection to the Imperial ceremony and the Japanese Army remains permanently recorded on the reverse. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.
Incredibly rare Volume 1, April 19, 1931 “The Legation Guard News” magazine catering to the Embassy US Marines of Peking, China. Illustrated by famed Marine artist John Thomason. Published by the North China Standard for the Legation Guard at Peking (Peiping) Chock full of articles and advertisements for Peking businesses serving the Marines in Peking, China in the Golden era of early China. China duty was desired by Marines and being a Peking Guard was a top honor for the “China Marines”. Issue is complete and in very good condition with typical foxing to spine and edges. This issue is approaching 100 years old! There are very few Volume 1 issues that ever come to the collector’s market!
This is a prewar Japanese lacquer sake cup made to commemorate the Imperial Enthronement Ceremony, or “Grand Enthronement, ” of Emperor Hirohito. The cup is finished in deep red lacquer with a gold phoenix and floral design. The original wooden box also bears the same commemorative inscription and company name. Although the cup itself is not dated, its period can be identified through the history of the company. Was established in 1922 and ceased to exist under this name after its merger in 1941. The only Imperial Enthronement Ceremony held during that period was the enthronement of Emperor Hirohito in 1928. For this reason, this piece can be confidently attributed to the 1928 Imperial Enthronement celebrations. The most unusual aspect of this item is the company behind it. In prewar Japan, military conscription could have a significant financial impact on a young man and his family. This makes the cup more than simply a commemorative sake vessel. It represents an unusual intersection of Imperial ceremony, military conscription, private business, and everyday life in prewar Japan. Please note that this is not confirmed to be a military-issued sake cup. The original wooden box and wrapping cloth are included. The cup remains in attractive condition for its age, while the box shows age-related wear and cracking. Please examine all photographs carefully for condition. A fascinating piece of Japanese social history from an era when military conscription was closely connected with everyday civilian life. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.
Published in 1937, this is an original prewar Japanese civil-defense manual titled Citizen’s Gas Protection Handbook, compiled by the Imperial Japanese Army Science Research Institute. The book was issued by Maeda Chijodo and was intended not for soldiers, but for ordinary civilians preparing for air raids, poison-gas attacks, incendiary bombs, and other dangers of modern warfare. Its contents include subjects such as: Protection of cities from air raids General gas-defense measures First-aid and rescue stations Different types of gas injuries Civilian gas masks and protective equipment An appendix on how to fight fires caused by incendiary bombs Instructions for civilian anti-gas equipment The Imperial Japanese Army Science Research Institute was established in 1919 as an Army research organization involved in military science and technology, including chemical warfare, gas protection, and related fields. It was abolished in 1941 during a major reorganization of the Army’s technical research system, with its functions transferred to successor organizations. What makes this book especially interesting is its audience. This was not a battlefield field manual. It was created for civilians at a time when the possibility of modern aerial warfare reaching Japanese cities was becoming increasingly real. The dramatic cover shows bombers flying over a city, while the text discusses poison gas, air-raid precautions, and even incendiary-bomb firefighting. It is a direct surviving document from the period when war was beginning to move beyond the battlefield and into the everyday lives of civilians. A fascinating piece for collectors of Japanese military history, civil-defense material, chemical-warfare history, and prewar civilian life. Condition: Shows age-related staining, foxing, toning, wear, and general deterioration. Please examine the photos carefully for condition. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.
This is an original commemorative photograph set issued for the completion of the Dachang Memorial Tower near Shanghai in December 1938. The original paper folder is clearly inscribed: “Commemoration of the Completion of the Dachang Memorial Tower” “December 1938″ The set contains two period photographs: one showing the memorial tower from close range, and another showing it in the distance beyond the landscaped approach. The historical significance of this location is particularly important. Dachang was one of the major battlefields of the 1937 Battle of Shanghai, where Japanese and Chinese forces fought fiercely during one of the largest and bloodiest campaigns of the early Sino-Japanese War. Approximately one year later, a memorial tower was constructed there to honor the Japanese soldiers who had died in the fighting. In other words, the quiet and carefully landscaped landscape seen in these photographs had been an active battlefield only about a year earlier. That contrast is what makes this set especially compelling. At first glance, the photographs show a peaceful road, newly planted trees, and a white monument rising above the surrounding ground. But knowing what had occurred there only months earlier completely changes how the images are perceived. This is therefore more than simply a pair of prewar photographs of Shanghai. It is a surviving document showing how a battlefield was transformed into a place of remembrance shortly after the fighting had ended. Another important feature is that the photographs remain together with their original commemorative folder, identifying: the location: Dachang the purpose: completion of the memorial tower the date: December 1938 the original two-photo set The photographs show age-related wear. They appear to have been stuck together at some point in the past, resulting in areas of surface loss. One photograph also has a strong vertical crease. Please carefully examine the photographs for condition. They are certainly not in pristine condition. However, for a historical document approaching 90 years of age, these traces of survival are also part of its history. These are not combat photographs. Instead, they document something equally revealing: how the memory of the battle was physically shaped and preserved immediately afterward. An unusual historical piece for collectors interested in the Battle of Shanghai, the Second Sino-Japanese War, Imperial Japanese military history, wartime China, battlefield memorials, or original photographic material. Only about a year before these photographs were taken, this quiet landscape had been a battlefield. In December 1938, these two photographs recorded the newly completed memorial that stood in its place. Own a Piece of History. International Buyers – Please Note.
Antique British Colonial Pith Helmet Ranelagh England Colombia Leticia War 1932 – JM Militaria & Collectibles. JM Militaria & Collectibles. Buenos Aires · Est. 2012 · Historical Arms · Decorative Arts · Antique Edged Weapons · Fine Militaria. Colonial Militaria · Headgear. Antique British Colonial Pith Helmet – Ranelagh, England · Leticia War, 1932. A British colonial pattern pith helmet (sun helmet, or salacot), of the officer type worn across Latin America’s tropical garrisons in the first half of the twentieth century. Constructed on a six-panel pith body under a cotton drill cover, with a swept green pleated puggaree band and paired ventilation eyelets in bone or early composition. ” The leather sweatband is stamped “Comfortilet Fitting, Royal Letters Patent No. 207475, ” and a separate gilt “British Made stamp with the Union Jack appears on the same band. The photograph is presented as historical reference for the type of headwear worn by Colombian officers on tropical frontier service in this period; it is not offered as a photograph of this specific helmet or of a specific individual pictured wearing it. A well-preserved example of a type increasingly scarce with its original retailer’s marking intact, offered with supporting historical documentation for the collector of Colombian military history and British colonial outfitting. Object Details? Colonial pattern pith helmet (sun helmet / salacot), officer type. Early-to-mid 20th century (no manufacture date stamped; the accompanying period photograph documents this type of helmet in service in December 1932, during the Leticia Incident, also known as the Colombia-Peru War). Manufactured in England; retailed in Bogotá, Colombia (Almacén Bogotá). Excellent state of preservation for its age. Structure firm and true to shape, stitching intact throughout, original sweatband present and stable. Light surface staining consistent with period use; no structural losses. ” Leather sweatband: “Comfortilet Fitting, Royal Letters Patent No. 207475, ” plus separate gilt “British Made stamp. Complete: original sweatband, silk crown lining, puggaree band, and brim all present, no replacement parts noted. Pith body under cotton drill cover, green pleated fabric puggaree band, bone/composition ventilation eyelets, leather sweatband, silk crown lining, green fabric brim lining. Evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Buenos Aires, Argentina · Est. Militaria · Blades · Edged Weapons · Uniforms · Insignia · Phaleristics · Fine Art · Historical Artefacts. Buyers are encouraged to examine all photographs carefully.
